⏱️ The Essentials in 3 Minutes |
🧠 Understanding the Challenge of Multilingual Training
Offering training in multiple languages has become essential for international organizations, multilingual subsidiaries, or training aimed at multicultural audiences.
📌 But translating a project is not simply a matter of running the text through a translator: a good multilingual version is a learning path that remains pedagogically coherent, culturally relevant, and technically smooth to distribute.
💡 The goal: for your learners to have the same quality of experience, regardless of their working language.
🔗 For the technical side (how to add a language, translate with AI, import an XLIFF file, edit manually), see the dedicated article: Translate a Training Project.
🎯 Identifying Typical Use Cases
Use case | Why multilingual is useful |
🌐 International group | Your employees are spread across multiple countries and don't all have the same level in a common language. |
🏢 Multilingual subsidiary | You want to offer each team training in their working language. |
🤝 Mixed audience | A single group of learners includes different languages: each person chooses their version. |
📜 Regulatory requirement | Some training courses must be offered in the official language of the country. |
🔎 Accessing the Project in the Translated Language
Click the language selector at the top of the screen to open the dropdown and access translated versions of the project.
Note: The languages displayed must first be configured in ⚙️ Settings > Languages section.
💡 Good to know: Some options can only be configured from the project's main language. This applies in particular to:
Final exam settings and questions
The satisfaction survey
Module settings
General and visual settings
✨ Adopting the 4 Design Best Practices
1. Design in a source language first, then translate
It is tempting to want to do everything in parallel. Avoid this trap: structure and validate your learning path in a single language (the "source language") first, then launch the translation. This prevents you from making the same changes twice with every adjustment.
2. Adapt, don't just translate
A literal translation is not enough. Think about adapting:
Examples: a client case in Paris doesn't necessarily resonate with a London audience.
Cultural references: names, places, professional contexts.
Units and formats: euros vs pounds, European date format vs English, etc.
Register: French "tutoiement" vs neutral English "you".
💡 Tip: have the translation reviewed by a native speaker from the relevant field, not just a generalist translator.
3. Systematically synchronize updates
When you correct content in the source language, immediately update the translation. Without this reflex, versions diverge over time and the experience becomes inconsistent.
4. Test each version as a learner would
Use preview mode to go through each language from start to finish before distribution. It is the only way to spot an untranslated button, a forgotten piece of feedback, or an image that doesn't work in the target context.
⚠️ Knowing the Pitfalls and Limitations
Pitfall | Why it's a pitfall | How to avoid it |
Media is not automatically translated | An image with embedded text, a video in French: only the granule text is multilingual. | Prepare versions of your media in each language, or use neutral visuals without text. |
Exercise feedback must be translated one by one | Each answer has its own feedback: it's easy to miss one. | Use the preview to go through all response cases. |
Key messages and conclusions | Often forgotten because they appear at the end of modules. | Do a full read-through of the module in each language. |
Imported SCORM is not translatable | An external SCORM module keeps its original language. | Import one SCORM version per language, or prefer Didask's e-learning format which is natively multilingual. |
Didask AI depends on active languages | The AI Coach and Assistant work in the languages activated on your instance. | Check with your CSM that the desired languages are supported by the AI. |
Culturally situated examples | "Bread at lunch" doesn't resonate with an Asian or North American audience. | Adapt examples rather than translating them literally. |
💡 Good to know: some options can only be configured from the project's main language. This applies in particular to:
Final exam settings and questions
The satisfaction survey
Module settings
General and visual settings
📡 Choosing Your Multilingual Distribution Strategy
Once your bilingual project is ready, you have several options for distribution.
Option A: A single multi-language publication
You create a single publication that includes all activated languages. Your learners choose their language from their interface.
✅ Advantages |
A single distribution link to manage |
Aggregated statistics: immediate overview |
Simpler to maintain |
Option B: One publication per language
You create multiple publications from the same project, each configured for a specific language.
✅ Advantages | ⚠️ Limitations |
Customizable audience per language (different groups) | More publications to maintain |
Adaptable settings per publication (certificate, dates, reminders) | Be careful to keep content synchronized in the source project |
Separate statistics per language (useful by subsidiary or country) |
|
How to choose between the two
If you... | Prefer |
Have a mixed audience who choose their language | Single multi-language publication |
Have distinct audiences per language (subsidiaries by country) | One publication per language |
Need separate statistics per language | One publication per language |
👀 From the Learner's Side: What Is the Experience Like?
Your learners access the training in the language of their choice, from those you have activated.
📌 How it works:
Upon logging in, the learner chooses their language (or keeps the default based on their preferences).
They can switch languages during the training using the ⚙️ Options tool in the top right of the introduction page.
Their certificate is issued in the language in which they completed the training.
💡 The Didask interface itself (buttons, menus) is available in 24 languages and automatically adapts to the learner's preferences.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Question | Answer |
Can I add a language to a project that is already being distributed? | ✅ Yes, without interrupting distribution. New learners will be able to choose the new language as soon as it is translated and activated. |
Can the AI automatically re-translate content that has already been translated? | ❌ No. The AI only translates empty fields, to preserve your manual edits. Delete the existing translation to regenerate it. |
How many languages can be activated on a single project? | The 24 languages currently supported on Didask. |
What happens if I delete a language? | All translations associated with that language are deleted. This action is irreversible. |
Keywords: multilingual project, bilingual best practices, cultural adaptation, distribution strategy, multi-language publication, source language, translation pitfalls, multilingual learner experience.